Christmas Crush
by quondamcrush
Summary: Mr. Tiramisu starts this 'christmas crush' service where students can find out if their crushes like them back. Pirika falls in love with Ren, but he doesn't seem to return the crush. or...?
1. christmas is here

**Christmas. **

**Christmas.**

**It's Christmas. Then why am I so darn depressed?**

**Oh, gosh. There's a tearstain on you, journal. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to contaminate you with my gloominess. I just wish – I just wish that instead of you and my family here with me, singing 'Tis the season to be jolly', it was Ren. I guess I'm just trying to comfort myself, huh, after what had happened today. God, where are you?**

**See you,**

**Pirika**

**I slammed my private journal shut and looked out the window, at the pretty snowflakes, at the snow, and at my faint reflection. Santa Claus, if you truly exist, you would know how miserable I am and for Christmas, you might give me a minute with Ren. Just 60 seconds. That's all I ask for. **

_Flashback_

'**Hey, Ren. You doing anything special for Christmas?' I asked nervously. Even now, I still could feel butterflies hovering in my tummy whenever we exchanged small talk. 'Nope.' He looked up at me briefly, and then went back to studying the desk thoroughly. He was in a mood to give monosyllabic answers. Right. 'Well, I'm not going to do much too,' I hinted, hoping he'd realize my hidden meaning. 'Oh?' he asked, now moving on to the specific study of his nails. 'Well, maybe just dinner with my family, but that's all. I'm free in the afternoon, and it's going to be SO, SO boring…' I faked a sigh, and looked down 'sadly' at my sneakers, then secretly stole a peek at his expression. Rats! Now he was focusing on the art of how to saw your desk with a ruler. 'Uh?' he responded, showing no interest and no heart at all in this conversation. Hopeless. I glared at him before walking back to my seat, just as a whistling, cheerful Mr. Tiramisu cha- cha-ed his way into class.**

'**Good news, kiddos! It's Christmas today!' he sang out loud to a bunch of inattentive teenagers. The class, including me, just stared at him blankly. 'So, Mr. Takenero Tiramisu, a.k.a me, has decided to let you all indulge in something fun, new and oh- so- exciting! Now, I know all of you have reached the age where love is in the air, all the time, so I've started this 'service' called Christmas Crush. You get to write a message on a heart- shaped slip of paper, write your crush's name on it and drop it in the hat next to me.' At this he pointed to a shabby- looking black hat beside him. ' I will be recording both your name and your crush's name. After giving out the slips to your crushes, I will hand out a white piece of paper with the words yes or no. If your crush likes you, he or she will circle yes. Then everyone has to hand this up. I will read out the so-called results tomorrow. Well? Ready?' I grinned. Great. This way, I'd surely find out if Ren returns my feelings! Mr. Tiramisu was just so cool. But at the corner of my eye, I saw him break out into a wiggly dance. Or maybe not cool – at all.**

**To be continued…**

**I was hoping to retire from all this fanfic writing jazz, but my friend Ishimaru Miwa asked me to work on Obsidian Love. So here's another Pirika and Ren story. It could be worth your while. See you , me…**


	2. Secret Admirer?

_After class_

'Ok, I've dropped my message in. I just hope it isn't TOO mushy.' I thought, my fingers shaking with nervousness. Would I stand a chance? Ren would most definitely have many pink heart-shaped slips lying on HIS table. I sat down and sighed. Would I even get one? 'Ok, everyone. Get ready; your messages are about to be read out.' Mr. Tiramisu announced, clearing his throat once more for good measure. A few shrieks and giggles of protest, before one of the popular girls raised her hand to silence it. 'Yes, Ayumi? ' Mr. Tiramisu asked. She glared at him. ' You didn't mention reading it out,' she pointed out. Mr. Tiramisu shrugged. 'Did I?' he was feigning innocence, though he was as lousy an actor as (please fill in the name of an actor you hate so as to make this story more real). An Oscar- worthy performance, I think NOT. He then shot us all a plastic smile. 'Well, I guess I forgot to tell you. Never mind now, keep your ears open for your message!' The minute I heard that, my chin hit the desk with a soft thud. God, noooooo…. I would be embarrassed! Slowly each message was read out, all expertly written in poetry form. I put my fingers in my ears as he read yet another one.

It must have been a few minutes before he read in a monotone, now losing all his excitement, 'I wish that you would open up your heart and tell me what you think

Because without an idea of how you feel my heart will begin to sink. I hate how you act so cool about everything, and I bet that even if I told you I loved you you would never react. So now I hope you read this message and I hope you prove me wrong about my bet. Crush's name: Tao Ren.' MY MESSAGE? Aaah…. Utter, utter, and utter humiliation coming my way! As Ren walked to the front to grab his message for about the tenth time (duh, his countless fan girls were sure to write their messages), he turned his head at a 90-degree angle, so that his gaze met my mortified one. He winked, and then in his usual cool style, went back to his seat. OH MY GOSH…HE KNEW? I had a feeling I would never, ever be able to talk to Ren the way I used to again.

'Let's just say I admire you from afar.

Your smile lights up the room like the brightest star.

This poem may be cheesy,

But you won't mind if you were with me.

Crush's name: Pirika.'

Whoa. I sat up straight. After almost trillions of poems and confessions, I'd fallen asleep. Until I heard my name. Was I in trouble?' Hello, Miss Pirika, care to help out here by walking up to the front and taking this?' He waved a tiny pink slip. WHAT? FOR ME? Instant energy boost! I quickly pushed my chair aside and ran forward. When I was back on my seat again, I couldn't stop reading it over and over again. Wow… a secret admirer! I flushed with embarrassment mixed with giddiness. I was so happy. I wondered who it was….

Hi! Thank you for the reviews! Please keep on reading. Who do YOU think Pirika's admirer is? OC? Ren? Or someone else we know and love? All I can say is…. Stay tuned!


	3. shocked

Yikes! I put after class, when it isn't! Sorry about that. Ok, so I've consulted the 3 people who really matter: me, myself and I, and have decided that her admirer is….

The rest of the period passed quickly, and soon it was time to leave for our next class. Mr. Tiramisu had mentioned we would only be getting the 'results tomorrow, so I guess I wouldn't know yet. Still, I'd circled a yes, so that my admirer would know I appreciated it. Meanwhile, as I gathered up my books (which I had no idea why I brought, we didn't even use them today), I thought about who it could be. I drew a mental list.

Ren - possible

Yoh- with Anna. I doubt it

Hao- possible

Ji- Hyun- new student from Korea? He seems to be shy around me…

So there were 3 possible choices. Hmm… distracted by trying to figure out just who it could be, I accidentally knocked over a book I wished I hadn't brought: 'The Idiot's Guide To Getting Your Crush To Notice You'. I'd only brought that to school for fear of boredom. Either way, I was desperate to grab it off the floor and hide it, but Ren beat me to it. Smirking, he picked it up and held it out to me. I began to blush, and felt as though I could actually see the crimson coloring my cheeks. 'Thanks,' I squeaked. He snorted. 'Like you need it. That book, I mean. Your crush definitely noticed you already.' I looked at him, confused. What did he mean? 'You know who my crush is?' I asked him, scared to hear the answer. He nodded, and then shot me a smile I could never forget. 'It's Hao, right? Lately when I talk to him he's always asking about you. Like if Horo- Horo would be okay if he like, went out with you or something. And you DO blush when he's around.' Uh… Hao? My jaw dropped with surprise. He thought my crush was Hao? Could he be any more wrong? 'That is so not the point! I blush when ANY boy is around!' I argued, angry yet disappointed that he hadn't figured out that it was he I liked.

'You do?' He asked, just as we reached the door of our next class. 'Even me?' At this, I blushed even more furiously. Yes, even you, I wanted to say. I blush around you more than I do anyone else. But instead I shyly nodded.

After THIS class

I quickly strolled out of the classroom, not wanting to talk to Ren. I'd already embarrassed myself more than I should have. Besides, it was already the end of school. 'Aah… hey, Pirika! ' I whirled around, and saw Ren beckoning for me to go over to him. 'Yeah, what's wrong?' I asked, the minute I stepped into place in front of him. 'Do you – do you, you know, want to go to the Vanilla Bean for a drink? With me?' He purposely averted his eyes to meet the ceiling, but he couldn't disguise the fact that he was blushing. I grinned. 'You're on.' And we walked to the bus- stop slowly, talking about school and the 'dumb' Christmas crush idea… and that was when I realized something was on my hand. No, it was as if someone's fingers were laced through mines. Oh, no…was he holding my hand? I gulped. I hated that yucky feeling in my stomach. Oh, come on, hurry up bus…. Hurry up and just come already!

'Two vanilla milkshakes, please. ' Ren ordered, and then sat down on a plushy pink stool at the order bar in Vanilla Bean. Feeling uneasy, I sat down anyway and happened to see Ji- Hyun at a corner booth, engrossed in his textbooks. Did I mention he loved to study? Well, either way, just at that moment, he decided to look up. Our eyes met and he gave me a weak smile, but a genuine 'I'm- glad-to- see-you' one. I smiled back, and he went back to reading. 'So, Pirika, do you like anyone in our school?' Ren asked slowly, as though he were unsure of how to phrase it. 'Uh-' I could imagine thousands of his fan girls attempting to murder me. Thank God they hadn't seen us holding hands. 'No,' I lied, and then silently scolded myself. 'I mean, not reall- really,' I stammered. 'Oh.' He went quiet for a second, like he was thinking of something. 'Maybe if you stopped acting cute, someone might like you?' he suggested, smiling a little. But it wasn't a smile. It was a mocking sneer. 'I don't act cute,' I calmly informed him, though inside I was more than miffed at his words. 'Or maybe you're just naturally cute,' he told me in an unnerving voice. This wasn't like him. Not at all. Had someone possessed him? 'But whatever. I'll never like you; no matter how hard you're falling for ME. So give it up already, you pathetic FAN GIRL.' The newly made vanilla milkshake shook in my hand as I bubbled up with rage. Pathetic fan girl, huh? Never like me, HUH? He was smiling. The jerk was smiling. 'Well, milkshake's here, ' I said a little too cheerily, before soaking him in the white frothy liquid. Then I stormed out of the Vanilla Bean, but not before meeting Ji- Hyun's curious gaze and hearing him tell Ren loudly, 'I think that little Ainu girl has strong feelings for you.'

_Yay! Ji- Hyun, Hao or Ren? Well? Remember the first chapter? It means Pirika still likes Ren. But it IS possible for her to like the other two, too. So who could it be? And why is Ren being so mean? Keep on reading…_


	4. more than you expect

Aargh! I was actually done with chapter 4 but someone at my mum's office accidentally deleted it! So please forgive me if this isn't so good. Sharon, you are so lucky! So many reviews… surely you don't need me to help you with Chapter 4?

_**So it's Christmas. And I'm writing in you for the second time tonight. It is snowing heavily both outside and in my heart. I'm so confused. Why is Ren so mean to me? I think I'm going to listen to some music. See you.**_

_**Pirika **_

'**Staring out at the rain with a heavy heart**

**It's the end of the world in my mind**

**Then your voice pulls me back like a wake-up call.'**

After the word 'call,' the radio just went kablooey and refused to continue playing the song. I thumped at it in anger, but it didn't help. Ding- Dong! Great. A visitor. There was persistent ringing, forcing me to run down quickly. I flung the front door open, despite the fact that my hair was messy, my eyes were red from crying and I had on an old Tweety shirt and shorts. Oh, yeah, and that it was minus 10 degrees outside or less. My mouth formed a silent 'O', and I hurriedly choked out a surprised 'Ren!' in order to save us both from turning into frozen popsicles. Suddenly, music floated into the room, as if the radio had specially stopped and then decided to play the song just at that moment.

'**I've been looking for the answer**

**Somewhere I couldn't see it **

**It was right there but now I know what I didn't know'**

And then it stopped. Ren looked at me, hesitated, then stepped in. We headed to the kitchen in unison and in silence. It was automatic, I just followed him. He eyed a mug full of cocoa as he spoke. 'Here.' It was just one word, but it matched the blizzard outside. Frosty. He held out an envelope, plain white just like snow – and just like lilies, my favourite flower. (I'm assuming) 'Thanks,' I whispered hoarsely, feeling uneasy. I wanted to smile, but then realized I was supposed to be angry for what he did this afternoon. 'I'm going. Do you mind?' He pointed at the mug. I shrugged. Horohoro must have left that for me before going over to Tamao's to celebrate, seeing as his sister had turned into a depressed Ren- maniac. Then Ren set the mug down, and walked towards the main door. At this moment, the dumb radio decided to continue. Was it haunted? Possessed? Spoilt? What on Earth was wrong with it?

'**Because you live and breathe**

**Because you made me believe in myself when nobody else could **

**Help**

**Because you live, girl**

**My world has twice as many stars in the sky' **

That made me grin inside, wishing that someday Ren would dedicate this song to me. And so before he turned that doorknob and walked away, I whispered a soft but still audible 'Wait!' Then I mustered up all my courage, ran towards him, and pressed my lips against his. I'd always imagined what my first kiss would be like. I never imagined it would be the almighty Tao Ren, or that it would be on Christmas night. And without a mistletoe, too. He didn't pull back, which surprised me, but I guessed it must have been Christmas magic. When we finally broke apart, he smirked. 'Not so bad,' he commented. I glared at him in mock fury. Ha. He was soooo idiotic- yet cute at the same time. S-I-G-H. Oh, yeah! I forgot. I hadn't asked him about the crush thingy yet. 'Hey, Ren, were you the one who gave me the message for Christmas crush?' I asked. 'No,' he replied, then decided that perhaps he should make a move. As the door clicked softly, I opened the letter he gave.

'_**Dear Pirika,**_

_**You probably hate me. But the reason why I made up lies about Hao talking about you and saying that you were a fan girl was because I'm in love with you. I'm falling deeper and deeper in love, and I'm scared. So scared you won't return it. However, though sorry seems to be the hardest word, I will say it. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I have found out who your admirer is. It isn't me, nor is it Hao. Well, bye. **_

_**Ren '**_

WHAT? He- loved me? No way. Ok, I was in serious denial. Here was the truth staring at me in the face, and I was telling myself it couldn't be. My mind floated to the smile Ji-Hyun and I shared at the Vanilla Bean in the afternoon. His shy smile. His brown hair, spiked at the fringe. His liquid black eyes I could literally melt into. His dimples, which I didn't really get to see. The way he blushed. But then I snapped back to reality. I'd always been used to having a crush on Ren, and now, though I do still have some feelings for him, I don't know what to do. It somehow doesn't feel right to me. Uh- oh. Am I caught in between a triangle of Ren, Ji- Hyun and in the middle – me?

_Next day in school_

'Pirika!' a breathless yell from Ji- Hyun as he scrambled up the steps and caught up with me. I tried hard not to focus on how cute he was with spectacles on, but found myself drawn to his eyes- pools of jet black. 'Yup?' I answered, shooting him a friendly smile. 'Are you free today? After school? Maybe we can – hang out?' he asked. I beamed. Why not? It wasn't as if I was Ren's girlfriend or anything. Besides, I didn't have any plans. 'Yeah, seems cool. See you,' I replied, giving him a tiny wave as I skipped my way to class happily. 2 people liked me! YAY!

Mr. Tiramisu foxtrotted his way into class this time, as the entire classroom became as quiet as a graveyard. Everyone was anxious to find out whether their crushes liked them back – or not. I didn't bother. I bet it was Ji- Hyun. So one by one, so-called couples' names were read out. My ears only started LISTENING when he mentioned the name 'Pirika'. 'Pirika and…and…wait. The person who wrote this, are you sure it's for Pirika and not for Anna K.? ' For me and not for Anna? Does that mean – I whirled around and saw Yoh. Lazy Yoh Asakura. He nodded slowly, blushing, and I buried my face in my hands. Yoh. That made it 3 people who liked me! AAAH……..


	5. falling in love with you

Well, some people seem to like it and some seem to hate it. But keep in mind that I made it a Ren and Pirika pairing, so it ought to stay that way. When I first received a review from pendulumxswing saying there were a few things he/she didn't like about the latest chapter, I must admit I didn't want to write anymore. But then I thought maybe at least one person will like it. So here it is. Chapter 5. The chapter that will change everything.

I don't like Yoh. At least, not in _that _way. But I have no idea how to explain it to him! Oh God…. Now Mr. Tiramisu is asking me if I'm alright. Yeah, I am. I am okay. I think. I don't get it! Yoh is with Anna. He can't NOT be with her. That would ruin the whole history of Funbari High! In a way. I sighed once more. Maybe I'll tell him we'll be okay as friends, but nothing more. Nothing too harsh, something sweet but not so sweet he thinks I like him. Hmm…. I smiled as I crafted my little speech mentally.

'Yoh!' I called out. He turned to see who was calling him, and as he saw me approaching, he grinned. 'Hello. I hope you didn't think I was serious about the message,' he said as I reached. I frowned. Huh? 'What do you mean?' I asked, confused. 'I don't- I mean, I like you as a friend, Pirika. But that message was just a joke – I mean, besides Anna, you're probably the prettiest girl in school. To me, at least. And Anna knows I like her already, so it's completely pointless to give her a message, don't you think? That's why I wrote one for you. By the way, if I blushed, it was only because I'm bad with rhyming stuff. So… see you around, Pirika?' he explained, and then gave me a small wave as he walked away. I nodded. I didn't know whether to feel happy that one less person liked me or disappointed. So I just shrugged to myself and headed for the next class. Whatever. I don't care anymore… I guess.

**_After school_**

I waited at the main school entrance for Ji- Hyun. I wondered what his plans for the afternoon were. A little cycling? A movie, perhaps? I've been dying to watch 'P.S: I love you' . Chick flick, I know, but hey, one wouldn't kill him, right? After a few minutes passed, the brown- haired boy finally appeared. He smiled when he saw me. 'Hi.' 'Hey,' I replied, suddenly feeling a bit shy. _'Quit it, Pirika! This is clearly a platonic relationship, nothing more. Stop making something out of completely nothing.'_ I scolded myself silently. He and I were just friends. Right?

It turned out he had planned to go to the Vanilla Bean, and then bring me to watch a movie – my choice, he added. Wow- not many guys would be willing to sacrifice two hours in a theatre watching a movie they know doesn't have violence and they know they won't like. He ordered one banana split and two 'Sweetheart sodas' – a cherry flavored fizzy drink topped with strawberry ice – cream. I would've expected Ji- Hyun to be shy, and talk to me about things like chemistry, biology and all other stuff related to studies, but he was an interesting conversationalist. I discovered he loved poetry, romantic comedies, and that he played the guitar. As I listened to him, I couldn't help but wonder how a soft-spoken guy like him could make me feel so – scared. Nervous, more like. Like I'm falling in love- but much better.

_After the movie (which was P.S: I love you, by the way)_

'So, how was it?' he asked me, laughing as he passed me a tissue. 'Nice,' I choked out. My eyes were sore after crying non-stop for the past 15 minutes. It was just so romantic… the way the two best friends ended up being together. One male, and another female, mind you. How they had originally gone off with other partners but still fell in love with each other in the end made me wish it would happen to me. Ji- Hyun remained quiet as I tried to stop the tears from flowing, and the ending song before the credits (when the best friends kissed) played in my head.

'**_Can you see me smile? Can you hear my laughter?_**

_**Can you promise me my happily ever after?**_

_**Can you catch my tears?**_

_**When each one of them rolls down my cheek**_

_**Will you be there when I'm weak?**_

_**I know I've fallen in love and I can't deny the truth**_

_**Cheating myself is no use**_

_**I've fallen in love – with you'**_

By the way, snakespirit, those lyrics are from Jesse McCartney's song 'Because you Live', one of my personal favorites. Listen to it, you'll love it!  Well, I'm done here. Till' next time, this is sweetseptemberscars!


End file.
